Heatwave sends Boxing Day temperatures soaring in parts of SA

The South Africa Weather Serve (SAWS) on Wednesday forecast a temperature high of 40°C for the small town of Taung in the North West province. PHOTO: SAWS via Twitter (@SAWeatherServic)

Johannesburg - A heatwave which hit parts of South Africa earlier this week continued on Wednesday, with temperatures expected to hit the upper 30s degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in the capital Pretoria were forecast to peak at 39°C, while Johannesburg would reach 37°C and Vereeniging 36°C, weather service Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) said via its Twitter account.

It urged residents to help save lives by handing out frozen water bottles to the homeless, labourers and outdoor workers, and listed severe headache, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, severe thirst, weakness and cramps among the symptoms of heatstroke.

At the start of the week, the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS) warned of persistently high temperatures in Gauteng, western Highveld of Mpumalanga, SW Bushveld of Limpopo, North West, Free State, northern and north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape until at least Wednesday.

On Wednesday SAWS forecast a high of 40°C for the small town of Taung in the North West province.